Hagel seems like a good choice for the job. However from the Democrats perspective it's bad politics. The GOP consistently paints the Dems as being weak on defense, and appointing one of their own to run the country's defense doesn't help the Dems one bit.

Still, I'm glad Obama took that risk anyway. It might only be symbolically bipartisan, but at least it's a symbol. Plus it'll be hilarious to watch all the Republicans try to discredit one of their own during the confirmation hearings.

Iran has unveiled a 'new' indigenously developed variant of the Bell AH-1J Sea Cobra attack helicopter (Toufan, in Islamic Republic of Iran Army aviation corps service), state media announced on 2 January. The upgraded helicopter, dubbed Toufan 2, was revealed by the Minister of Defence General Ahmed Vahidi.
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FYI: Vahidi is on the Interpol's wanted list as a planner and implementer of the Iranian Quds terrorist attack on the Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires.
[that's the fella Hagel (Obama's Secretary of Defense in spe) wants to discuss out differences with over a cup of tea]

How about the targeted assassinations that the Israeli carry out, which lead to this stuff, which leads to ...... You need to slow down and think. Interpol may one day even put these targeted assassinations, so called, as Mafia hits ... and try to do it's job.

You would be a lot more credible if you referred to the President as "President Obama" or at least just as Obama - instead of "Barack Hussein Obama" which frankly makes me think you are a Fox News acolyte.

Obama and his brutals do the same as chicken hawk liar Bush and his Neocon brutals: They kill without mercy and no legal proceedings. This is unworthy of a modern democracy. Futile wars the alienate Pakistan and Afghanistan even more a no good method to quell an uprising that has been organized in the first place by the black ops CIA during the cold war. Why can they not just keep their fingers from the triggers and go home?
The muslims should fight out between their own people. We should stand to the side and only help them to get their water and sanitation and health systems right. Maybe fresh water and solar energy would bring us more friends then killing "terrorists". Btw.: Most leaders of new countries have been terrorists in the begining. We don´t kill any PLO or Hagana (now IDF!) leaders. This is all insane, idiotic, senseless killing without any usefulness.

While we are at it, let's not waste the trip and carry an extra one for Israel. We can drop it on the return trip. That way both the crazy Muslims and the crazy Jews get fixed. Fixes both sides of the equation.

You are a lunatic. Dropping A-Bombs is exactly what these girls need.
It´s interesting that my comment about sending you guys to Pakistan got removed but you right wingers can spew out this nonsense unchecked.

My Israeli and obviously Jewish contacts dislike "Netanyahoo" [no typo], believe he is corrupt, not good for Israel and not good for Israel. There are a fair number of American Jews of the same opinion.

Following the illogic of the FOX/GOP/TEA/Likud Party, all of these Israeli citizens are traitors and all these Jews are anti-Semitic. The propagandists who post here and elsewhere NEVER admit that liberal Israelis [and many Socialist Israelis] exist, or that most American Jews are firmly in the progressive camp and tend to vote Democratic.

Living in a bubble is not just for American right-wing and TEA Party types. Such sources need to be looked into carefully and given the exact amount of credibility they deserve [i.e. much less than they have now].

Time will tell how far the pair get in overcoming disinformation from their supposed subordinates and lobbyists, in reshaping, focusing and reducing US 'imperialism', military and intelligence excesses and restore the public rule of law and ethics not only in how detainees are treated, but also in how America's youth are used as cannon fodder in ideological wars talked up by spooks.

The rest of the world remembers with extreme distaste the 'WMD' bullsh_t, wars, deaths, the trapping of the Prime Minister of the US primary ally (UK, Blair) in a massive lie with imbedded media. Reducing tensions in the Muslim wars can only benefit the security of the West and give moderate Israelis a chance to get peace back onto the agenda - though no doubt the hard lines on-going settlements and Morsi will provoke a reversion to the middle East problem sooner rather than later.

Not only charity should start back at home - Mr Obama has demonstrated the pragmatic realism needed to refocus spend on growing the economy and jobs outside of the military machine, which should - but will not - get all the support that deserves.

It should be for its own good that the US realizes its decline, in the eyes of the rest of the world, including long time strong allies. Regional “powers” are fast sprouting up in all continents, challenging the legitimacy of US global predominance. Still dreaming of white supremacy? Better not. (mtd1943)

Smart Obama move: splits GOP even further so DP has better chances of securing 17 more seats and thus control of the House in 2014. It's a long shot - due to gerrymandering favoring GOP - but a few more GOP missteps might turn the odds in Obama's favor.

I said "it's a long shot."
On the other hand, DP is also aware of the historical outcome of the mid-term elections, and I suspect it will not accept it as destiny.
If DP will succeed we'll know in November 2014.

Hagel & Brennan are Drone boys, not gun boat diplomacy aka. Iowa Class USS Missouri, boys.
Modern Smart Weapons kill with a staggering degree of accuracy compared to the old area weapons, of a time once been.
I vote for the Drone boys.

I respect this man. I like how he can stand up to Israel which almost impossible in our Government. I have no ill will towards Israel, I just hate the idea that anyone who disagrees with them is an Anti-Semite.

Very true. I admire Israel for a lot of reasons, but it saddens me deeply to see the two people contending to be the President of MY country fight so childishly on national television over which of the two visited Israel first, who said what about Israel, who has praised Israel the most, who has met with Netanyahu most often, who has said the word "Israel" the most, who first uttered the word "Israel" in the debate... (see: the third presidential debate last year).
I don't know how two grown men didn't realize how pathetic they looked doing that, let alone how Americans aren't completely outraged by the fact that politicians think it's more important for them to express their unconditional love and loyalty to Israel than, say, their commitment to making sure every American has access to good healthcare or a decent tertiary education.

I have not forgotten that some unpunished person in the Israeli government ordered a strafing attack on the USS Liberty followed by machine gunning of US sailors struggling in the Mediterranean.

What would we have done if the Somalis, Iranians, or "pirates" had done that? Had I been president Israel would have paid dearly for that, and the guilty would have been demanded in the same tone that the Afghan/Taleban government were ordered to turn over the guilty Al Qaida for US punishment.

Having said that, I have to admit that I feel the US has no choice but to help Israel because of the promises made by Palestinians and others to have a new Holocaust. It would be unethical to abandon Israel to the wolves who make genocidal statements.

This does not mean that the US should kowtow to the aggressive Likud/Zionist faction. They want our help and support, but they try to get it by using mafia tactics [see the behavior of Bibi toward our president for a recent example]. We can and should make them ask nicely [if not beg], and exact a suitable price for the aid. The price should include getting out of our politics, dismantling AIPAC, stopping illegal settlements [and other trouble-making and peace obstructing actions], etc.

We pay the piper, and we should call the tune; and Bibi should come hat in hand and with due respect.

Your assessment is correct. For too long, the tail (Israel) has been wagging the dog (USA). Here in London, there was an excellent article in the Guardian on this subject yesterday:

"Among the particular problems Hagel's critics have is his refusal when a senator to routinely sign Aipac-sponsored letters of unquestioning support for Israeli policies. He would not, for example, put his name to letters pledging unequivocal backing for Israel after the second Palestinian uprising began in 2000, pressing the European Union to declare Hezbollah in Lebanon a terrorist organisation and demanding that the Palestinian leadership bar Hamas from running for election.

Hagel, in an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star in his home state of Nebraska on Monday, said critics have "completely distorted" his record. He said there is "not one shred of evidence that I'm anti-Israeli, not one [Senate] vote that matters that hurt Israel". Which is true.

But his detractors have done that to discredit him because they don't want to talk about what really alarms them: what Hagel did say and his reasoning for it.

"I didn't sign on to certain resolutions and letters because they were counterproductive and didn't solve a problem. How does that further the peace process in the Middle East? What's in Israel's interest is to help Israel and the Palestinians find some peaceful way to live together."

He later added:

"Furthering the peace process in the Middle East is in Israel's interest."

In other words, Aipac is not acting in Israel's best interests but providing political cover in Washington for Netanyahu.

Hagel also got into trouble for pointing out that Aipac "intimidates" members of Congress. Aipac denies this while also claiming to its supporters to be immensely influential in shaping support for Israel on Capitol Hill. But there's no doubt that members of Congress view Aipac much as they view the National Rifle Association – the be crossed only at dire electoral peril.

However, this insistence on unwavering support for Netanyahu (or any other Israeli prime minister) is helping to drive away the very people Aipac claims to speak for. Bradley Burston, an American Jew who settled in Israel, wrote in Haaretz recently that many Jewish Americans are turning away from the state founded in their name:

"In fact, as the new year dawns, there are mounting signs that 2013 may be the year in which US Jews – in the main, liberal in outlook, committed to tolerance, pluralism, and a vigorous, sincere pursuit of peace – effectively secede from this state of Israel. Many American Jews are already distancing themselves in word and deed from a government it sees as arrogant and short-sighted, enslaved to a runaway train of settlement, dismissive of the rights of Palestinians and other non-Jews, cold to the concerns of a sinking middle class and the drowning disadvantaged, contemptuous of the concerns of the larger Jewish world."

Further evidence that Chuck Hagel is right, and that the pro-Israel position is to stand up to Netanyahu."

Likewise on Iran, in general, the Middle East should be a nuclear-free area. However, that will not be possible till Israel is willing to allow nuclear inspections. They have more than 400 nuclear warheads - a significantly larger inventory than India.

TE: "If Mr Brennan were slowly to shift the CIA away from its heavily paramilitary role of recent years back towards its more traditional function of intelligence gathering and analysis, many in the intelligence community would applaud."
++++

If memory serves, the previous liberal left US president (Jimmy "the Peanut" Carter) destroyed CIA's HUMINT believing US could rely only on "national technical means".

The fact that Hagel is qualified out the kazoo and will not play patticake with the neocons is the issue..
The neocons and aipac are trying to SELL the idea that the likud party and bibi's rabid right wing beliefs are those of the Israeli people and the American Jewish Community..They ARE NOT! It is a coalition, splintering, that was cobbled together because T.Livini won the popular vote and Simon Peres chose him!
The stated democracy of Israel does not even ALLOW the Palestinians to VOTE in the National elections ONLY local little elections! A SHAM!

If the Jewish community gets to choose our government's ministers, how about giving Buddhists, and Christians, and Muslims and Hindus a say also? Or do we already have it. If only the Jewish community could quit whining and moaning so much. Very, very high maintenance, OMG !!!